Apr 18 2008
Claire’s surprising elimination last week remains a shock to everyone, especially Lauren, who shared the bottom two with her. Whitney is happy to have made it further in the competition than any other plus-size model. Stacy-Ann realizes she needs to push herself out of the middle of the road and be noticed more. They all sit around wondering at what point in the competition they will be going abroad, and Fatima looks sad. She finally fesses up that she is not a U.S. citizen and does not have her travel documents in order. She cries, and Anya tells her to bug her lawyer everyday about getting her paperwork completed before she is kicked out of the competition.
LEARNING FROM THE BEST
Paulina arrives to give the girls lessons on showcasing themselves and handling themselves around important people. She pretends to be a very snobby woman, to which some of the girls react well, and others fail. Then she is on the red carpet, interviewing them, and Dominique talks too much, Lauren stumbles over her words and Whitney seems spaced out and pageantry. Stacy-Ann is just dubbed a fake and way too over the top. Later, as the girls gather in the kitchen to make potato pancakes (…do not touch those Whitney…); Lauren cuts off part of her thumb trying to dice an onion. She is taken to the hospital by one of the producers and receives stitches, but she’s okay. No word on whether or not they still used the onion. Fatima gets on the phone with one of the producers who tells her that the consulate is not impressed that she waited until the last minute to try to get her documents straight. Fatima is frustrated because she knows a trip abroad is coming up and she doesn’t want to miss it.WHAT DID THEY LEARN FROM PAULINA?
A box arrives full of lemons and limes. At the bottom is an envelope inviting the girls to a green carpet event for 7up. Again, as she does every week, Whitney complains that she is at a disadvantage because she is the plus-size model. (I’m playing the violin now as she speaks…) Then Courtney Kish shows up with dresses from designer Jay Godfrey to wear to the event. He will be judging the girls’ interaction on both the green carpet and working the room inside of the event. On the carpet, the interviewer asks the girls questions as they arrive. Dominique is asked what designer she’s wearing, and she replies “Jay Giorgio,” which is dead wrong. Lauren is asked why she should win the competition, to which she replies, “I can kid the (EXPLETIVE) out of these girls anytime.” Alrighty then. One thumb up for Lauren. As the girls move inside and mingle, some shine, some do not. Anya seems to be a natural with the guests, while both Whitney and Stacy-Ann come off as both aloof and pretentious at the same time. After the event, Jay Godfrey chooses Anya as the winner, and she gets both a photo shoot for 7up and $10K. Of course, Whitney has to hate on Anya and reveal she doesn’t think that Anya is the brightest star in the sky. Stacy-Ann even admits she is jealous she didn’t win because she really felt like she worked the room.PACK YOUR BAGS? Or NOT?
Back at the house, Fatima learns from one of the producers that the consulate has agreed to meet with her at 9:a.m. the next morning. A Tyra Mail arrives, and the ladies believe that they will be leaving for another country the next morning. They all excitedly pack, that is until Fatima realizes she may not be going anywhere. At 5:50 a.m., they pile into the stretch limo, luggage in hand and ready to fly off, and arrive on the tarmac to find Jay Manuel sitting on the steps of a small prop plane. He informs them that they will be involved in a photo shoot right there on the runway, and it’s a group shot with them taking turns up front. Fatima has to fess up to Jay Manuel that she needs to leave the shoot to get her travel documents approved by the consulate. Jay is disappointed that she waited so far into the competition to even mention she couldn’t travel abroad, know it a large part of every season. He tells her to go ahead and leave and try to make it back by 3:p.m. to shoot. The other girls are disappointed that they won’t be traveling that day, but they do their best to make it look like they are running toward that plane in anticipation of taking flight for somewhere, anywhere. Stacy-Ann struggles because of the temperature and wind. Lauren has to be reminded not to show her bandaged thumb in the shoot. Anya rocks the shoot. Fatima arrives at the consulate at exactly 8:59 for her 9:a.m. appointment. She walks back out, thanking God and everyone else that she was granted travel documents at 12:45. Too bad she is still two hours away from the shoot. When she finally arrives, it’s too late. The last shot has been taken and the crew has left. The other ladies are already assembled in the hanger for the judging when she arrives back. Tyra berates her for being late and missing the shoot. She also gets on her about not having her paperwork in order before the competition began. Tyra informs them that the judging is taking place ASAP in the hanger because immediately after the elimination, they will indeed grab their luggage and head overseas. Of course everyone screams, except Fatima.The girls are judged based on the group shot as well as their interaction at the 7up event. Stacy-Ann and Fatima remain as the bottom two. Stacy-Ann is sent home, and Fatima, who hopefully has learned a big lesson about responsibility, is given another chance based on her overall performance this season vs. the overall performance of Stacy-Ann. Next week, the ladies head to Rome!
